Flora indica, or, Descriptions of Indian plants : reprinted literatim from Carey's edition of 1832 / by the late William Roxborough.
- William Roxburgh
- Date:
- 1874
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Flora indica, or, Descriptions of Indian plants : reprinted literatim from Carey's edition of 1832 / by the late William Roxborough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
19/844
![K\rmpfcria. coloured and obtuse. Lip or sixth segment, obcordate, deeply retuse, placed on the interior or upper side opposite to the filament. Filament linear, and together with tlie two-lol>od j,;([ anther about as long as the lip. Gtrm hairy, three-celled, with numerous ovuln in each, ]. attached to the inner angle. Style length of the eorol Stigma large, and villous. Cdp- j3 rule turbinate, size of an olive, smooth when ripe yellow, three celled, tliree-valved. ^ Seeds a few, smooth, bright deep red, with a partial ragged aril of the same colour. Embryo simple, sub-lanceolate, furnished with both perisperui and vitellus.* 3. H. angustifolium. It. Leaves linear-lanceolate. Spikes open ; fascicles of flowers subtern, segments of the cleft lip oblong ; the other five segments of the eorol linear. Beng. Bhoo-ada. Native of Chittagong, Silhet, and the eastern parts of Bengal, where it fiowers about the beginning of the rains, in June. Moot tuberous, horizontal, jointed, &c., as in the other scitainineous plants. Stems erect, from three to six feet high, entirely invested in the sheaths of the leaves. Leaves bifarions, sessile on tbeir smooth sheaths, narrow-lanceolate, very fine, I may say filiform, pointed. smooth on both sides ; from ten-to fourteen inches long, by one to two broad. Spike terminal, erect, rigid, from six to eighteen inches long, smooth. Fascicles of flowers generally three-fold, and spreading out considerably from the rachis. Bractes ; exterior of the fascicle cylindrical, linear ; interior, one to each flower, and smaller. Flowers rather J. small, dull ml (laierilius,) generally about four in the fascicle, and expanding in sucees- pj, sion. Calyx superior, cyHndrio, length of the tula; of the eorol; mouth equally three- toothod. Corot ; tube slender, cylindric, abont an inch long ; five segments of the bonier linear (sub-filiform,) variously revolnte. Lip lateral, with linear, channelled and two-parted lamina ; the segments thereof semi-oval. Filament opposite to the lip, and twice it.s length, nearly straight, filiform, grooved for the style. Anther two-Iobed, nuked. Germ oval, a little hairy, three-celled, with many ovula in each, attached to the axis. Style filiform, its base embraced by the usual two subulate bodies. Stigma funnel-form, projecting from the apex of the anther. Notwithstanding the opinion which the distinguished Botanist Edwards (in his Bot. Begist.) has expressed, 1 am led to snsjiect that H. coccincum of Sir J. Smith (Rees's new Cyclopaedia, in loco) is a distinct species, of which 1 have examined the original drawing, left by my inestimable friend and predecessor. Dr. F. Buchanan at the Botanic garden at Calcutta. 4. H. gracile. R. Leaves lanceolar. Spikes terminal, open ; fiowers solitary scattered ; segments of the bifid, sessile lip, semi-Ianeeolar, the other five segments of the eorol linear. Khasee name, Kattia Laphya. Obs. This is u slender species, about three feet in height, a native of the mountains on the North-East border of Bengal. Like tin* preceding two species it flowers in the rainy season. Its solitary-flowered spike of white enrols with their scarlet filament, and its lanceolar leaves, distinguish it from II. august folium. I. VFERJA. Linn. gen. pi. p/l. Schreb. No. 0. 15 Corolla with a long, slender tube, and both borders three-parted. Anther double, with a two-lol>ed crest. Capsule three-celled many-seeded. 1. K. Galanga. Linn. sp. pi. ed. Il'il/d. 1. 15. Leaves sessile, round-ovate-cordate. Spikes central. Upper segments of the inner border of the eorol oval. Katsjnla Keleugu. Rheed, MaL 11. p. 81. t. 41. Alpinia sessilis. Fan. in Rets. Obs. 3. p. 32. Soncorus. Rumph. Ami. 5. p. 173. t. 60. f. 2. Sans. Chnndra-moolika- \ native of various parts of India, and common in gardens also. blow .-ring time the rainy season. Root biennial, tuberous, with fleshy fibres front the tubes. Stem none. leaves radical, petioled, spreading Hat on the surface of the earth, round-ovate-cordate, between acute and obtuse; margins mombmnaroons. and waved ; npj*er surface smooth, deep green ; below taper and somewhat woolly ; streaked lengthways with ten or twelve slender lines. Petioles hid in the earth ; in short they are only cylindric sheaths embracing those within, and the fascicle of flowers, their mouths being crowned with a membranaceous process. Flowers collected in small fascicles, from six to twelve, within the sheaths of the leaves, expanding in succession ; pure, pellucid white, except a purple spot 011 the centre of each of the divi- sions of the inner border, or lip. Bractes three to each flower ; a larger exterior ; and two within ut the sides ; all are linear, acute, membranaceous, and half the length of the * In January ISIS I received roots ..f this most charming species from Mr. Smith at Silhet which ppslueed blrs.is.mH In tiro botanic garden In October the following year. It differ.- from M ’em-on,,. rural, In regard to It* flowers, which are about one third smaller, having the inner scgiuenia of tlw coroi linear clavaie, the fowl re of tho lip narrow with straight sides. and it* base o.ntna t into a linear claw They partake nut only of the yellow colour of those of M,<-h.tia ctuimjxira. but irosse** oven tllC peculiar fragrance- of the latter, only in a less powerful and therefore more grateful degree. In stature and leaves both species arc alike.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28120024_0019.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
